Oleksandr Usyk is allowed to fight Rico Verhoeven as WBA champion – but the kickboxing star cannot win the belt even in a sensational fight. The WBA only recognizes an Usyk victory as a title defence.
The fight between Oleksandr Usyk and Rico Verhoeven remains complicated in terms of sports politics. The WBA has allowed the heavyweight champion to enter the ring with his title status on May 23 at the Pyramids of Giza. For Verhoeven, however, the WBA belt is not at stake. The reason: the Dutch kickboxing star is not ranked by the WBA. Should Usyk win, the association will still count the fight as a successful title defense. Should Verhoeven, on the other hand, cause a sensation, he would not receive WBA title recognition. Instead, the WBA Championship Committee would then have to decide on Usyk’s status.
This means that the situation differs depending on the association. The WBC has approved the fight as a title duel, so Verhoeven could become champion there. In the IBF, the title would become vacant in the event of an Usyk defeat. For the WBA, names such as Murat Gassiev or Moses Itauma could benefit if Usyk were to slip up. Gassiev holds the secondary WBA title, while Itauma is already ranked number one by the WBA. Nevertheless, the Ukrainian remains the clear favorite. Although Verhoeven has a great kickboxing career, this is only his second professional boxing match.
Text by Robin Josten